When it comes to
teaching values to their kids, many parents feel like they
are swimming against a powerful tide. A barrage of competing
messages sabotages their best efforts every day. Time and
again, parents say that they are in competition with entertainment
media, especially TV, for the hearts and minds of their
kids.
In the past, parents had to contend with peer pressure,
entertainment, and the rest of society just as they do today.
But today, with the proliferation of communication technology
and the increased number of screen hours, parents seem to
be facing more competition than ever before.
So the question is: do today's parents feel like they are
winning the battle to teach their kids values? A recent
study suggests that parents end up on the losing side.
According to a study by Public Agenda, a non-profit research
organization, a vast majority of parents surveyed believe
there are essential values their children should learn.
These values include: doing your best in school; having
good money habits; being honest; having self-control; and
being polite. The problem is, most parents worry that their
children are not learning these values.
This means parents aren't doing their jobs, right? No,
there's something else going on here. Like the parents surveyed
for the study, most parents I talk to care a great deal
about what their children learn and they pay attention to
what is sinking in. The study shows that parents are trying
to teach essential values to their kids, but the competition
is making it nearly impossible.
A lot of the competition comes from TV. Nine out of every
ten parents said the bad language and adult themes on TV
get worse every year. And although 93 percent of the parents
said TV is okay as long as children watch the right shows
in moderation, 70 percent said they had been shocked or
offended by something they had seen on TV in the last year.
Parents are right. TV can be helpful if kids watch good,
age-appropriate shows in proper moderation. But TV's adult
content can also be stiff competition for parents.
When it comes to competition from TV we have a choice.
We can continue to let it undermine us. Or we can get MediaWise,
watch what our kids watch, and make sure that the only shows
our kids watch are the ones that will help them grow up
to be healthy, kind, successful adults. And then they can
do the same for their kids.
